The article would be more helpful if it had specified how exactly proxy servers help make browsing more anonymous on the internet. I would also have expected so

The article would be more helpful if it had specified how exactly proxy servers help make browsing more anonymous on the internet. I would also have expected someone who is talking about proxy servers to compare and contrast VPN and why or why not use one over another. The article initially identifies all the talking points w.r.t online browsing surveillance (cookies, fingerprinting, isp snooping etc). But it never tells how exactly a proxy is solving all those problems. If the author had in fact dug into those aspects, it would have become apparent that a proxy only changes the clients IP address visible to the website. Cookies, fingerprinting still exists. I haven't followed through on the instructions yet for setting up proxy. But the authors ignorance (intentional or not) about proxy servers impact, makes me question if it's even worthwhile to follow the instructions. I am still curious on a couple of things after reading this though 1. What is the difference between a proxy and VPN? 2. How much does hiding my IP address help w.r.t hiding myself from corporate surveillance? Here's a list of stuff that I am currently experimenting with as part of balancing browsing experience v/s being anonymous. 1. Use a VPN[1] 2. Configure Firefox to resist fingerprinting 3. Do not use ISP's DNS resolver. 4. Block JavaScript on browser 5. Use Tor as your browser. [1] setting up a personal VPN was a breeze with https://trailofbits.github.io/algo/ https://trailofbits.github.io/algo/